McCain: U.S. will help Mali cause vs. rebels

BAMAKO, Mali - The United States will seek ways it can help French and African forces in Mali combat al Qaida-linked rebels, Sen. John McCain said yesterday during a visit to the west African country.

BAMAKO, Mali — The United States will seek ways it can help French and African forces in Mali combat al Qaida-linked rebels, Sen. John McCain said yesterday during a visit to the west African country.

France launched a military offensive in January against Islamist militants threatening Bamako, Mali’s capital. That drove the insurgents out of the towns they had seized, but they have since struck back with suicide attacks and guerrilla-style raids.

Western powers are concerned that Mali’s vast and lawless Saharan desert could become a launchpad for international militant attacks.Other European governments have ruled out sending combat troops but are backing a military training force. McCain said Washington wanted to offer some support, too.

“We will work with the French forces, assess the French and allied forces on the ground and see to what extent we can provide equipment, training and technology to rid Mali of these rebels, which include al-Qaida,” McCain said.

“Our target is also drug traffickers,” the Republican senator said during a visit to Bamako with Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., to meet President Dioncounda Traore.

The former French colony is due to hold presidential and legislative elections in July — vital steps to stabilizing the gold and cotton producer after a military coup a year ago left a power vacuum, which was exploited by the rebels.

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